Loyal Friends
by NarglesandNifflers
Summary: What happens when Merlin is thrown out of his room by the new physician, and is forced to sleep in the stables? No slash, just good bromance. Two shot.


"Gaius!" Merlin called, knocking on the door. _"Gaius!"_

The door opened and Merlin was greeted by a beaming Gaius. "Merlin, how good to see you!" He stepped aside to allow Merlin to enter the small cottage.

"It's good to see you, too," said Merlin sincerely, as he had missed the old man during the last couple of days, ever since Gaius had left. Merlin had promised to come and visit him in his new house (if you could really call it a house; it was more like a hut) and this had been the boy's first opportunity.

"How are you?" he asked anxiously, turning to regard the man in front of him. Gaius looked tired, weary, but no worse than usual.

"There's absolutely no need to worry Merlin," he replied firmly. "I feel far better not to be working, that's for sure, although I admit that I have missed your chatter over the last few days."

"And I haven't had a reason to talk ever since you left!" said Merlin, following Gaius into a small room and sitting down on one of the less comfortable chairs, leaving the more comfortable ones for Gaius. "I'm relieved the new physician arrives today, so I won't be alone any longer." It suddenly struck Merlin how selfish this sounded, and he quickly mumbled an apology.

Gaius chuckled. "I'm not offended in the least, Merlin. What time does he arrive? Gilbert, was that his name?"

Merlin nodded. "I think so. And I think he's due to arrive in about two hours," he replied with a sigh. "And I take back what I just said; it will be just my luck to be stuck living in the same place as someone awful."

"Now, Merlin, that is _not _the attitude," said Gaius firmly. "Don't waste your time thinking like that when he will probably be perfectly nice. Anyway, tell me, how have things been with you? How's Arthur?"

The two of them talked for what felt like ages, and Merlin was able to pretend that Gaius hadn't retired, and things hadn't changed. However, all too soon, it was time for him to leave.

"You wouldn't want to be late to greet him, after all," said Gaius, as Merlin got to his feet with a groan.

"I suppose you're right." He hugged the old physician goodbye.

"Take care, Merlin," said Gaius quietly as Merlin drew back and turned towards the door.

Merlin nodded. "You too. I'll come and see you again as soon as I can."

"And I'll look forward to it," said Gaius with a smile.

Merlin waved goodbye and left the cottage, his throat tightening as he walked away. He was so used to living with Gaius, who he had come to look on as a second father, and it was hard to know that there was no Gaius to go back to in the evening. Now he was stuck living with a new physician, who could be horrible for all Merlin knew.

Xxx

Merlin pushed open the door leading to the physician's chambers, stifling a yawn. A wave of sadness washed over him as he was greeted with an empty room.

As he took a couple of steps forward, the door to his right slammed open and a large man with a ragged beard and small, narrow eyes stormed into the room.

"There you are!" he snapped. "Took you long enough to arrive back here!"

Merlin could only gape. "Are…are you the new physician?" he managed to ask, dread settling in his stomach like a rock.

"No, of course not, I decided to come in here for no reason," the man sneered. By _that_ answer, Merlin assumed that this was Gilbert, although he prayed for it not to be true. "Well, hurry up about it!"

"_What?"_ said Merlin in confusion.

"Get your things and get out!" Gilbert barked.

Merlin's mouth dropped open. "But…I…I live here-"

"Not anymore," Gilbert snarled. _"I_ make the rules around here, and I certainly do not want to be stuck in a small hut with some dirty little servant boy! Now, pack up your things and-"

"It's night time!" Merlin interrupted, his heart beginning to thump, and a feeling of anger prickling through him. "Where will I go?"

"Funnily enough, I don't care!" Gilbert spat. "That doesn't affect me. Now I don't want to hear another word from you, so go and do as I say, or you will be reported to the king!"

Merlin stared at him in shock for a few seconds, before he turned and stormed up to his room, knowing that it would be foolish to argue. He shoved his possessions haphazardly into a bag, his hands shaking in anger. He could hardly believe this was happening; although he had anticipated that the new physician might not be the nicest person in the world, he certainly hadn't considered the possibility that he might be thrown out of the chambers completely.

"_He could at least have let me stay for tonight, to give me some time to work out where I'm going to go,"_ Merlin muttered angrily, gritting his teeth as he heard Gilbert roar at him to 'get a move on.'

He hurried towards the door and glanced back behind him at his now-empty room, suddenly feeling numb. This was his _home,_ it had been his home ever since he had arrived at Camelot, and he was suddenly being thrown out of it with nowhere to go. Although this thought increased his anger at the unjustness of it all, he also felt a twinge of grief and sorrow.

"_Boy!"_ Gilbert bellowed. "If I find out that you are deliberately stalling, you will be reported to the king!"

"Think of another threat," Merlin muttered as he gave one last, sweeping glance of his room and left, clenching his fists as Gilbert opened the front door with a scowl.

"I do _not _want to see you back here later," he said as Merlin walked towards him, anger flaring in his chest like fire. He grabbed hold of Merlin by the scruff of the neck and almost threw him out into the dark night, before slamming the door behind him. Merlin heard the sound of the lock being drawn.

He took several deep, steadying breaths to calm himself down as he picked himself up from the ground. The anger continued to burn inside him, and he strained his eyes to try and make out something, anything, through the dark.

_Where will I go?_

Merlin's first thought was Gaius, but he knew that that would never work. Although Gaius still lived in Camelot, his house barely had enough room for _him, _let alone Merlin. Merlin briefly considered going to see Arthur, but he dismissed this idea from his mind at once. What would Arthur even do?

Almost at once, the king's voice filled his mind, light and amused;

"Honestly _Mer_lin, can you not take a bit of cold? Don't come running to me for no reason…you're such a _girl,_ Merlin…"

Merlin shuddered, and it was nothing to do with the cold night air. _No,_ he decided firmly. _Never._

He sighed and stared helplessly around at the various dark shapes he could see. _Just my luck that there isn't a moon out tonight…_

_I'll have to go and sleep in the stables._

Merlin sighed out loud, and shuddered as a gust of cool air blew his way. He knew he had no choice; there was nowhere else he could sleep. The stables it would have to be.

He could feel his anger slowly abating every step he took, replaced with exhaustion. All he wanted to do was sleep, even if it _was_ in the draughty stables. He felt a rush of relief as he squinted through the black and managed to make out something which looked vaguely like the stables.

_If my bad luck continues they'll turn out to be full of people and there will be nowhere for me to sleep…_

Thankfully, the stables were empty, and Merlin curled up in a corner, wishing he had a blanket. He managed to make his bag into a rather lumpy pillow, and eventually decided on using some straw as a 'blanket.' This didn't stop him shivering, and although he was exhausted, it took a very long time before he finally fell into a restless, fitful sleep.

Xxx

Arthur gnashed his teeth in frustration as George cleared his breakfast away with a dutiful, doting expression on his face.

"George?" he said sharply.

"Yes, sire?" said George at once, spinning round to face Arthur.

"Go and try and find Merlin when you're finished with that," Arthur instructed him, acknowledging the empty dishes with a jerk of his head. "Tell him to come and see me as soon as you find him."

George nodded immediately. "Of course, sire." He left the room with a respectful bow.

Arthur rolled his eyes as he headed over to his desk to start working on a report. Despite the fact that George was everything a good servant was supposed to be, something about the boy never failed to annoy him. He guessed it was because he was now so used to Merlin, who Arthur thought of as a friend more than a servant, although his feelings towards Merlin were currently less than friendly. Being over two hours late was _unacceptable,_ and that was that.

Arthur was hallway through his report when his deep concentration was punctured as the door opened and Merlin came hurrying into the room, his hair sticking up and clothes rumpled.

"What _happened _to you?!" Arthur demanded, throwing down his quill as Merlin shut the door cautiously. "You're over two hours late – I've had to have George dress me and serve me breakfast, and he told me that not one person has seen you today! Were you in the tavern again?"

"No, I slept in," said Merlin quietly, his eyes lowered. "I'm sorry, Arthur."

"You'd better be!" said Arthur, but his anger was slowly beginning to die down as he took in Merlin's appearance. "Merlin, is everything alright?"

"Yes," Merlin replied hastily. "Absolutely fine."

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You look awful." This was true; Merlin's face was white, and his eyes were bleary and tired. "And…is that_ straw_ on your clothes?"

"Sorry," Merlin mumbled, brushing the straw away quickly. "So, what do I have to do today?"

"Well, you have to polish-" Arthur began.

"Polish your armour!" said Merlin quickly. "Right!" He darted out of the room before Arthur could reply.

Although Merlin wasn't late again, he spent the next few days pale and exhausted. He wasn't his usual talkative self, probably because he seemed to be spending most of the time trying not to fall asleep on the spot. Arthur was sure that something was going on, but he couldn't think what. Although he hated actually_ asking_ Merlin what was wrong, as he hated to show concern for his manservant, he eventually couldn't take any more of it.

"Merlin, is there a reason you always look so tired nowadays?" he asked one day, keeping his tone as casual and offhand as possible.

"I'm not tired!" Merlin protested feebly. "I'm perfectly fine."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You really are an idiot if you expect me to believe that." He frowned suddenly as a sudden thought struck him. "That new physician arrived a few days ago, didn't he? What's he like?"

For a second, an expression of bitterness crossed Merlin's face, before his features smoothed over. "Fine. He's quite…interesting."

"Interesting?"

"Well, he's quite…different to Gaius," said Merlin with a shrug.

Arthur's frown deepened. "Meaning?"

"Well, it means they're different people," said Merlin with a half-hearted roll of his eyes. "Obviously. Prat."

"In a good way or a bad way?" said Arthur, choosing to ignore the insult.

"Not in a good way or a bad way, really," Merlin replied with a faint smile. "What am I supposed to say?"

Arthur shrugged. "I was just curious. Oh, and Merlin?"

Merlin, who had just turned away, glanced back at him from over his shoulder.

"I am _not_ concerned about you," said Arthur firmly. "I'm merely asking out of interest, as I'm curious to know what he is really like when he isn't around the king..." His voice trailed off.

Merlin's face broke into a smile. "Whatever you say, sire," he said with a mock bow, before retreating from the room, leaving Arthur to roll his eyes at the door.

Xxx

A couple of days later, Arthur had been about to retire to bed before he remembered that he had meant to ask one of the stable hands about his horse. He groaned loudly and made his way out of his room, throwing on a dressing gown as he did so. It wouldn't take long, and he had a busy schedule tomorrow, so if he didn't ask now, he probably wouldn't remember tomorrow. He made his way out of the castle and headed down to the stables, glad the moon was out tonight, flooding the grounds with light.

As he pushed open the door of the stables, he was met with the sight of Merlin, lying huddled on the ground underneath a heap of straw, and shivering violently. Arthur felt his mouth drop open.

"_Merlin!"_ he hissed. "What on _earth_ are you doing down there?"

Merlin shot up, his eyes wide. "Arthur! Why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to one of the stable hands about something…it doesn't matter!" said Arthur impatiently. "The more important question is;_ what are you doing?"_

"Nothing," said Merlin anxiously.

"Were you trying to get to sleep on the stable floor?" said Arthur in shock. "Merlin, why would you _do_ that?"

"It isn't like I had any choice!" Merlin snapped. "Gilbert threw me out."

"The new physician?" said Arthur. Merlin nodded and Arthur's chest flared with red-hot anger. _"He _threw you out? Does he know you're sleeping here?"

Merlin shrugged. "He doesn't care where I am."

Arthur swallowed. He was certainly not about to leave Merlin alone in the freezing cold stables, but he didn't want to send the boy back to his old room, in the same place as Gilbert. At the thought of the man, Arthur's anger increased. The man had hurt one of his friends, his best friend, and no one did that and got away with it.

_I'll have to have a stern talk with him tomorrow, _Arthur thought grimly.

He wasn't sure what exactly he was going to say to Gilbert, but he _certainly_ knew that it was not going to be a very pleasant discussion.

"Arthur?" said Merlin expectantly.

"Sorry," said Arthur quickly. "You…err…you can come and sleep in my room. Only for tonight, mind," he added as Merlin's face lit up.

"_Thank you_ Arthur!" He paused, a frown crossing his face. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Surprisingly, I'm not," said Arthur wryly. Merlin's smile widened and he jumped to his feet, brushing the straw from his clothes.

"I'm surprised you haven't caught a cold, sleeping there for the last few days," said Arthur as they left the stables. He felt a pang of sympathy for his friend.

"Well, I might do, but I certainly haven't yet," said Merlin, sounding quite cheerful for the first time in days. "Thank you again Arthu-"

"I don't want to hear how thankful you are," said Arthur wearily. "If you keep thanking me, it will probably bring me to my senses and make me realise how foolish I'm being." He nudged his friend lightly to let him know that he was only joking. Merlin pushed him back.

Once they had reached Arthur's chambers, Arthur hurried over to his large wardrobe and threw a nightshirt over to Merlin. "Get out of those ragged clothes, and put this on," he said firmly.

Merlin's eyes were as wide as saucers. "_Thank you," _he breathed.

Arthur laughed. "This isn't like you at all, Merlin. What's with all the thank you's? Come on, call me a prat or a clotpole so I don't suspect that you're being impersonated by someone."

Merlin laughed. "Dollophead!"

"I suppose that will do," said Arthur with a smile. He made his way over to his bed and clambered in, huddling under the covers and shutting his eyes. "Night."

He felt Merlin climb into bed beside him. "Night."

Arthur still couldn't quite believe that this was happening; he was actually _sharing_ a bed with Merlin. He remembered a flippant comment he had made several years ago, about how terrifying it would be to even think of sharing a bed with Merlin, but now….now he felt almost happy.

"Arthur?" Merlin mumbled sleepily.

"Yes?" said Arthur with a yawn.

"Why didn't you just tell me to toughen up and sleep in the stables? Why didn't you leave me there?"

Arthur was silent for a few seconds as he thought of an answer.

"Because friends don't do that to friends," he said eventually.

Even though he couldn't see him, Arthur knew Merlin was smiling.

**A/N: Hope you liked this :) I'll be grateful for any feedback!**


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